The Beast Within
by Shadowfire-X
Summary: Shadowfire is thought to be infected by the Maverick virus, a human government man decides to dispose of him and his family, but he's not going down without a fight.


The Beast Within  
Emily Burke  
  
"Too many of our prejudices are like pyramids upside down. They rest on tiny, trivial incidents, but they spread upward and outward until they fill  
our minds."  
  
-William McChesney Martin-  
  
JULY 3, 2128  
  
Hasaki tugged on my shirt sleeve as he pointed to some fireworks for sale in the HQ's market.  
"Daddy, can we get some of those?" he begged. They were mortars, specially designed to make specific patterns and shapes. The designer mortars the boy was pointing to were of an extraordinary variety, and very expensive.  
"Alright," I relinquished, "but just one."  
Hasaki grinned widely and grabbed a mortar that made the shape of, ironically, a dragon, and put it in the hover cart. The rest of the shopping was easy. Smaller, more simple mortars, Roman candles, bottle rockets, and other things of the like.  
  
When we got home, Serena was laying on the couch, deftly flicking through TV channels.  
"Anything good on?" I questioned. The elf moved her head with a delicate motion, smiling slightly at me.  
She sighed, "No," she began, before frowning a bit. "They're increasing security around the Hunter base in New York City for the festivities tomorrow... Why?"  
Hasaki looked up at me curiously, also wanting to hear why.  
"Go upstairs for awhile, kid," I nearly whispered. "I need to talk to your mom."  
The boy heaved a sigh of disappointment, and made his way up the stairs as if it were painful for him. I waited until he was out of earshot before I turned back to Serena and said, "humans."  
"Humans?" she inquired.  
"Yes," I replied. "The terrorist group Life Society, made some threats on the New York City base. Signas said that they may have to call me up to help tomorrow."  
My wife gave an exasperated sigh before saying, "Zero called just a few minutes ago. He said he had to 'borrow something from the lab', and wants you to 'cover for him'." She eyed me suspiciously as I put the jacket to my uniform back on. "You two have some kind of plot, don't you?"  
"Please," I said quietly, "don't let anyone know about the call... I need to run to Headquarters for a bit."  
  
I opened the door to the storage facility in Lab 22. Cold steam wafted out, and finally cleared enough for me to see. There were rows of cylindrical containers, each about five inches tall, and one inch in diameter. In the glass and metal containers glowed a thin, crimson liquid. The holding spots in each shelf were numbered. All of the containers were present, except one. Holder 15 was empty, the cylinder taken. I closed and sealed the door, and turned to pick of the Laboratory Log Book. Taking a pen, I wrote 'Maverick Virus Bio-Container 15 was contaminated with bacteria, and incinerated.'  
The book thudded as it was dropped back onto the table. Nobody would suspect a thing. After all, despite sterile conditions, there was the occasional contamination.  
I exited the storage area, and made my way to the Officers' Quarters. Zero's door was shut and locked. I knocked slightly.  
"Go away!" the occupant yelled.  
I sighed, knowing I would need the 'password'. I muttered, "Prodigal Son." The door immediately unlocked. I stepped into the dimly-lit room, and the door shut and locked behind me.  
Zero was sitting on the bed, wearing a T-shirt and jeans. Virus vaccines had been given earlier in the morning, and they were taking their toll on him. He had dark circles under his weary eyes, and was hunched over a bit. His body shivered slightly, as if cold.  
"I covered for you," I said quietly, a tad shocked to see the condition he was in.  
The Crimson Wonder merely nodded, sick from the vaccine. In his hand was a pneumatic syringe, with Virus Container 15 loaded into it. He pressed the delivery end against his neck, and I fought not to look away. There was a hiss as compressed air forced the virus into his body. When every last drop was gone, the syringe was dropped to the floor with a clank.  
Zero fell back onto the bed, and curled up tightly. Violent shudders coursed through him. I could sense the presence of the virus pulsing through him, nullifying the affects of the vaccine. Instead of becoming weak, and mad, like most Reploids, he did quite the opposite. When the convulsions died, Zero's power output had raised back up to normal levels, and he didn't look nearly so tired.  
I spoke in a whisper, as if afraid to break the sudden stillness in the room. "Better?" I asked.  
Zero nodded, and said in a shaky voice, "yes. Quite a lot better. Thanks for covering up my 'borrowing'. They'd have me locked in a containment cell so fast I'd have whiplash, if they knew about this." It was odd. Zero was such a good friend, and yet I knew almost nothing about him. His past always seemed like a sensitive subject, and I had done my best not to bring it up. However, my curiosity was roused again. How fascinating, Zero's reaction to a deadly virus. I began thinking of my own inner workings. Were my systems really immune to the Maverick virus?  
My thoughts were distracted by the ringing of my communicator. I pressed a small button on the watch-like device, and Signas's face appeared. He looked frustrated.  
He began with, "I'm sorry I have to do this to you. I know you wanted to spend the holiday with your family, but the New York City base is demanding the presence of top brass. X's armor is under repair, and Zero has seemed rather exhausted lately. That leaves you. Please report to the Equipment Room." The comm. device shut off.  
  
The Equipment Room. Signas stood in the middle of the circular area, surrounded by a multitude of gadgets.  
"You said," he started, "that you modified your armor. Let's have a look."  
I resisted the urge to sigh, and summoned my armor. It still possessed the same color scheme, red with black trim. However, now the leg armor was more contoured to my lower legs, so it was no longer bulky. The metal boots had been replaced by some custom-designed ones. They were the shape of my feet, and fit nicely, so that there was no painful cramming involved. Some add-ons had been made to my helmet. A black blade curved over the top, making the helmet seem a bit Roman. There was also a removable smoke and dust filter that fit over my mouth, sealing the helmet. It was also acoustically 'invisible', allowing my voice to go through without distortion.  
Signas walked around me once, looking over the armor carefully. He said, "it's not as big as it was before. I take it that you were opting for agility?"  
I nodded in reply.  
"Excellent. It's nearly nightfall here. I suggest that you sleep on the way to New York, so you'll have some vitality when you get there. They'll want you to sweep the outside of the building tonight."  
  
I immediately made my way to the hangar. There was a gunship that had been assigned as my personal transport. I had made a few modifications to it, of course. It was a sleek, black jet, about the length of two Greyhound buses. The scythe-like wings curved forward, for excellent maneuverability. The cockpit window (the only actual window on the craft) was tinted to appear a red color from the outside. Many weapons were invisible, hidden underneath the streamlined hull of the vehicle. Three 'jointed' landing legs, one in the front, two in the back, allowed for landings on uneven terrain.  
I walked under the gunship, and onto a circular platform. The platform was pulled up, bringing me into the cockpit. The 'elevator' locked with the belly of the jet, as if there were never an opening to begin with.  
The cockpit was roomy, roughly eight feet tall, by ten feet wide, and at least twenty feet long. There was an automated medical table at the back of the cockpit, and access to a cargo bay.  
I sat in the pilot seat, with a half-circle of monitors in front of me. There was a head-up display on the front window for viewing gauges.  
Tired, I selected the auto-pilot function. The computer's voice, which sounded suspiciously female, asked, "destination?"  
I replied in a clear voice, "New York City, New York. Maverick Hunter Base."  
"Acknowledged." There was a quiet whir as the plasma engines came to life, followed by a near-silent hum. As the landing legs retracted, there was a bit of a jolt. The jet taxied itself into the runway, which was tilted at a slightly upward angle. Red lights activated as the huge runway doors opened, revealing a rectangle of dark night sky. Lights flashed, showing the path.  
The engine drives spun faster, the whirring became more high-pitched. The jet was suddenly shot forward, up the runway incline. With a burst of speed, it was out of the hangar, and into the air.  
A shape flew out in front of the jet. Alarms sounded, and the collision avoidance system activated. I was jolted hard in my seat as the gunship turned a hard left.  
"Subject identified," the computer began. "Maverick Hunter flight training ship. Unarmed, unit number A-27. Serial Number MHAF763-09246." Great, some rookie in fight training had nearly bounced off the hull. The computers in both aircraft had recorded the incident, insuring that the rookie would be punished for his or her recklessness.  
I tried not to think of the near-miss, as I only had three hours until I reached New York. I could have reached the base in well under an hour, but such speeds are only necessary when in combat or pursuit.  
Tilting the chair back, I sighed, trying to relax. The display lights dimmed, and the bright overhead lights turned off altogether.  
  
I was awakened by the computer saying, "destination achieved." The landing legs extended, and the jet touched down. Looking out the window, I could see a handful of Hunters gathered around, gawking. Also noticeable was that the hangar of this base was a great deal smaller than that of Headquarters.  
I exited the jet, and was nearly swarmed. A young human man in a Hunter uniform finally shoved past the gawkers. The scanner in my visor analyzed the many medals he had, identifying him as a commander.  
"W...welcome to the base, sir," he stammered. "It's an honor to have you here."  
I offered the commander my hand, and he shook it. The human had a nice, firm grip.  
"Good to be here," I stated. "I don't often get to see other Hunter facilities. I'm a little surprised, though. I expected the head officer here to be a Reploid."  
The human looked a bit despondent at this. "Sorry to disappoint you, sir."  
I chuckled slightly. "No disappointment. Just a pleasant surprise. I admire a human that overcomes such stereotypes."  
The young commander looked a bit stunned, but managed to say, "thank you, sir. Please follow me to the control room."  
  
This base's control room was like a miniature of that at HQ. A round room with rings of control consoles, with Hunters busy at work. In the very center was a pillar of monitors, and within the pillar, guarded by force shields, was the Central Computer. I knew very well that it was always monitoring the security screens, searching for suspicious activity. The security screens were also under close Hunter surveillance, ensuring that nothing slipped by.  
The commander, David, was watching me, awaiting any signs of disapproval. The control room was very organized, though.  
"Everything appears to be in order," I stated, looking at the security screens. "I see no problems here."  
David let out what I'm sure was a sigh of relief, before saying, "wouldn't you like to take your helmet off, sir?" At hearing this, half the people in the room turned to look at us, but were quickly scared back to work by a glare from their commander. I was somewhat confused.  
"What's with the staring?" I questioned.  
David pulled me aside, away from listening ears, and said, "nobody here has every seen you before. The only information any base outside of HQ gets is just stories about you. HQ has their lips pretty much sealed about you. We all know you're a secret from the public, but you've mostly been an enigma to us, too. Almost nobody's ever seen your face. Like I said, we only hear stories. Most of the Hunters here have gotten the impression that you're some kind of monster under that helmet."  
I knew that Signas was keeping me a secret, but this seemed a bit much. A 'monster'? Ridiculous.  
"Were I not so amused by this," I started, "I might find it insulting." I took hold of my helmet, and the entire control room directed its attention to me. Carefully, slowly, I pulled the helmet up, and off. My hair spilled out, and my eyes quickly adjusted. Everyone stared.  
David quickly whisked me away, to rest before the festivities.  
  
The crowd was enormous. Humans and Reploids alike were gathered outside the fences to watch the display. I was standing right outside the gate, helmet on, wings and tail morphed away. A security robot stood on either side of me, and several more were spaced evenly down the fence. It was dusk, and the first displays had already been set off without incident.  
The scanners in my visor suddenly targeted a Reploid in the crowd. There was a heavy concentration of Maverick virus around the individual. The security robots apparently hadn't picked up on this Maverick.  
He was a gray and white-armored Reploid, with a wolf-like head, tail, and feet. He was holding a gun that he had slipped past security, and slipped behind a tree. I had to stop him.  
Leaving my post, I snuck quietly around the tree, to find nothing. I looked up, to see the Maverick sitting on a branch up above. He leapt down, and I barely managed to dodge him. Sharp teeth sank into my left leg, bringing a startled yelp from me. The Maverick jerked his head from side to side, rending flesh with his powerful teeth. A few audience members had noticed, and were running for security.  
"You wiped out my entire unit!" the Maverick screamed in rage. I tried to kick him off, but his jaws were simply too strong. By now, I could feel the virus that flooded his body entering my own systems. Virus vaccines were meant to protect against infection from physical contact. If introduced directly into the body, however, the Maverick virus would overpower a vaccine.  
My vision went black, and I groped in the air for the Maverick. My hands finally gripped fur, and I yanked, hard. There was a loud howl, and the teeth withdrew from my leg. I could hear the sounds of running, and screaming. Blinking several times only brought back warped and static- ridden vision. I felt something grab me. Jerking away, I nearly fell over. Jet engines. I could hear jet engines, just above me.  
Total confusion. I didn't remember anything that had happened in the two hours following that jet engine sound.  
  
*Gate*  
  
Two hours after the New York City base had notified us of an attack, Shadowfire's gunship landed itself in the docking bay. We were told that there was a high possibility that he had been infected by the Maverick virus. A small group of medics and scientists, including myself, entered the docking bay, followed by several armed guards. If Shadowfire were infected, then the guards would probably stand little chance against him.  
He was lying on the floor of the jet, armorless. His left leg was mangled badly, and there was a pool of black fluids underneath it. There was Reploid blood on his hands as well, and some on the flight controls, indicating that he had managed to set the autopilot. How peculiar. Early symptoms of a Maverick virus infection were derangement, lack of coordination, short term memory loss, and lack of reasoning abilities. It would have taken a great deal of coordination to have set the autopilot by hand. It had also been set to the safest possible place, Hunter HQ, which showed that Shadowfire's reasoning was intact as well.  
Carefully, we carried the wounded Hunter to a containment room, placed him on the table, and left, locking the doors behind us. Through a two-way mirror, I watched as a repair drone began working on his leg. It was too risky to have a human or Reploid in with a possible Maverick.  
Signas quickly stood beside me, a despondent expression on his face. "The director of the CDC heard about the incident... and was allowed access to information on Shadowfire," he started. I couldn't help but grimace. I knew the CDC director, Phillip Gray. He was quite smart for a human, and could keep a secret well. However, I knew his methods. If it's infected: destroy it.  
As if on cue, Phillip walked in. He was a man in his mid-forties. With graying hair, a stern face, and cold blue eyes.  
Shadowfire moved slightly as the repair drone pulled away, finished with its task. Phillip watched closely as he stood up, and looked around with bewilderment in his eyes. His wings were trembling, and I noticed a limp as he took a few steps toward the mirror. Were the thick glass not in place, he would have been just an arm's length away. Shadowfire's eyes were focused, but afraid. There was no way he was truly infected. All Mavericks had a spark of malice in their eyes. He seemed to be looking right at us, through the mirror.  
"God," Phillip started, "it's like he can see us right through the mirror."  
"He probably can," I muttered in reply.  
"Mr. Gray," Signas began, "so far, he has shown little or no symptoms of Maverick behavior. His eyes are focused, and he has shown no aggression."  
"Don't try to defend him," Phillip snapped. "I know he was one of your best, but he's a mutant to begin with. There's a high probability that the virus has mutated inside of him. If he attacked anyone, it could spread a new strain of Maverick virus, one powerful enough to trigger the largest mass human slaughter ever seen. I'm sorry, Signas, but your little pet monster has to be destroyed. It has to be done by noon tomorrow."  
Shadowfire's eyes widened in shock. Slowly, he sank to the floor, covering his face with his hands.  
"Perhaps," I snarled at the human, "you could have taken into consideration that he didn't need to hear of his coming termination."  
Mr. Gray muttered something, and marched out of the room, as if he had been insulted.  
Signas turned off the audio recording systems, and said, "tonight at midnight, the security systems for this containment room will shut down. Contact Techno. Tell him to use the cannons on Shadowfire's gunship to breach the outer wall of the containment room. He'll only have a window of five minutes before all the security systems bring themselves back online."  
I knew Signas as a very responsible Reploid. A plan like this was difficult, risky, and required perfect timing. I liked it.  
  
*Shadowfire*  
  
'Destroy your pet monster,' the human had said. Pet 'monster', was I? But, the Maverick virus was sitting idle inside of my body. Contained and dormant, totally inactive, but still there. As long as it was there, I would be considered a Maverick. What did it matter, though? I was going to be terminated, anyway. At that moment, I would have done anything to tell my wife and son goodbye.  
Like the answer to a prayer, there was an explosion. The outer wall was blown away. Alarms went off, but none of the auto-cannons activated.  
I ran to the breach in the wall. My gunship was hovering outside, waiting.  
The door blew in, and a handful of Phillip's guards ran in. Beams leapt from their weapons, and barely missed me. I leapt outside, landing roughly on the wing of my jet. The gunship began to rise through the air. Cannons fired after it. The ship jerked to the side to dodge a beam, and I slipped from the wing. Spreading my wings, I swooped under the jet, and came up through the entrance in the belly, which closed behind me. Sitting in the pilot's seat, much to my surprise, was Techno. He turned to face me.  
"Fly this thing!", he demanded. "I barely know how!" My brother unstrapped himself. The gunship jolted, throwing us both to the floor. The HUD indicated that the right wing had been hit, but there was only slight damage.  
I quickly stood up, and strapped myself into the pilot's seat. Techno sat next to me. Beams were flying everywhere, and this was no job for the autopilot.  
"Warning," the computer began. "Multiple fighters have been scrambled. Seven X12-Comets" The very pilots that I had trained had been sent to kill me, in the very ships that I had helped design.  
I took a moment to ponder the situation. Comets were small and fast, nearly able to out-maneuver any other ship. They were not, however, very heavily-armored. Their HUD's also had a tendency to malfunction around dense iron objects. The first dense iron objects that came to mind were meteors.  
I jerked the controls back, and the gunship turned upward sharply, pushing us against out seats.  
"Whoa!" Techno yelped in surprise. "Where are we going!?"  
I muttered, "to find some meteors." The auto-repair had already fixed the damage to the wing, but it could only handle so much damage at once. If we took too many hits from the fighters, the repair systems would malfunction, and we would be blown away.  
We reached the atmosphere, and flames engulfed the ship. We broke through, into cold, black space. The computer had already located some meteors for us. I could see the flame streaks of the Comets exiting the atmosphere, and knew that they would soon catch up.  
I punched the throttle, and soon came across a dozen black, dense iron meteors. Maneuvering carefully around, the jet stabbed its landing legs into one of the space rocks, and pulled close, hugging the surface. The cockpit lights turned off, and the instrument panels dimmed.  
"We're the same color as the meteor," I whispered to Techno. "They can't pick us out, because all the magnetic metals will screw up their electronic displays. Fortunately, this gunship has special plating to prevent that from happening to us."  
"Good," Techno replied, "because if we get caught, we're both going to die very horrible deaths. Mr. Gray apparently figured out that you had a twin brother, and sent his flunkies after me, earlier. He knows that if he kills me, you go down, too."  
"Bound by life," I muttered.  
"Bound by death," Techno answered. Strange, it seemed as if I had heard the phrase many times before.  
Curious, I continued the 'saying', and he followed, our voices in unison, "life force intertwining the two, coming full circle in the Ring of Hope." Never had I heard of this saying, it just... came out. My brother and I had a good, nervous chuckle at this as we looked through the cockpit window.  
"They're passing us by," Techno stated. "Look at the radar screen, they're leaving! But... where do we go, now? What do we do-" He was interrupted when a transmission from HQ came in. Gate appeared on the HUD, and his voice came through as if he were standing right there.  
"You're alive, glad to see it," the scientist began. "You have to hide out until Shadowfire's body kills off the virus in his systems. Once you're clean, Gray and his goon squad can't touch you."  
I asked, "how long will that take? Do you know?"  
"At this rate," Gate continued, "only a day or two... I think. Anyway, your wife says that Gray has been laying on the questions pretty heavy. I'm getting worried. He's plotting something, and you know that, to him, only the results matter."  
Techno tugged on my sleeve, and pointed to the monitors. "Look!" he exclaimed. "Defense satellite Alpha is changing position!"  
I looked at the monitors, then back to Gate's hologram. "Gate, my memory is a bit fuzzy. What does Defense satellite Alpha do?"  
The scientist rubbed his chin slightly, before replying, "it's used to destroy objects that may collide with Earth. Asteroids, meteors and such..." They were lining up that satellite to blow away our cover. If we didn't move, we'd be dust.  
"Uh, sorry, Gate, gotta go." I cut the transmission, and grabbed hold of the controls once more. Techno sighed, tightening his straps a bit. The monitors tracked Alpha, and alarms blared when it was aimed.  
"Warning, warning, Alpha's phase cannon is preparing to fire. Thirty seconds to reach minimal safe distance." I retracted the landing legs, and gunned it. The jet shot forward, away from the asteroids, then was rocked by an explosion. The phase cannon had been fired. The hull was soon pelted by fragments of debris from the meteors.  
Techno covered his eyes as we neared the planet again. The hull glowed red as we entered the atmosphere, but we were going too fast. The air brakes strained, and groaned, trying futilely to bring the craft to a safe speed. Two hundred, too fast. We whipped right through thick storm clouds. The Pacific Ocean rushed up at us, splashed around us. We hit with a horrible jolt, and a deafening crash. The buckle on my straps broke, and I was flung against the instrument panel. Everything went black.  
  
I lay in bed, shivering. It was late at night, and I couldn't sleep. Serena pulled closer to me, cuddling against my side. Having her there made everything warm, and carefree.  
Hasaki lay on my other side, sound asleep. One of my arms was still wrapped around him, keeping him close, and warm, as well.  
Nothing else mattered. This was my whole world. I used to be alone and frightened, plagued by nightmares. Now, I was surrounded by what was most precious to me. The nightmares had been chased away, and I no longer doubted myself.  
"Shadowfire!" a voice yelled, faded, and distant.  
"Shadowfire!!" clearer this time.  
  
"SHADOWFIRE!" Techno screamed, shaking me. "Get up!"  
A horrible pain throbbed in my head, and everything was distorted. I could see a splash of something black on the controls. I felt the back of my head, and my hands came away stained with more black. I was bleeding.  
"Come on, Shadowfire, we've sank five thousand feet, pilot us out of here," Techno demanded, placing me back in the pilot's seat.  
"He cannot pilot," the computer insisted. "Cranial trauma has been detected, place him on the medical table."  
I sort of stumbled to my feet. With Techno's help, I staggered to the medical table, and laid down. I watched as my brother took the pilot's seat. Worry filled me. He wasn't used to flying a gunship. What if he messed up?  
The computer had deployed straps, to hold me against the table. "Do not worry about Techno," it reassured, "I will instruct him. All you should worry about is holding still, and relaxing."  
I looked up at the many instruments hanging above me, which was not at all comforting. A pneumatic syringe lowered down, and pressed against my arm. There was a hiss, and a bit of a sting as the liquid was forced into me. My body tingled, then went numb. The computer did a quick scan.  
"The virus signature is now very faint, and continually shrinking," it declared. "It should be gone within minutes. There is minimal cranial damage detected, and no hemorrhaging has occurred." Good, the last thing I needed was a concussion. However, I was worried for my family.  
"Computer," I muttered, "contact the house's core processor, see if any alarms or defense systems have been set off."  
"Acknowledged," the computer replied. For a moment, there was silence. The computer had turned the side of the hull I was facing transparent from the inside, so I could see out. We had risen to about fifty feet below the surface, and the blue ocean was riddled with sunbeams. A pod of dolphins swam playfully alongside the gunship, chittering happily.  
"Shadowfire," the computer began, distracting me from the outside world, "the defense systems were activated, but quickly shut down again. Phillip Gray is in the house, along with a security team. Security footage shows that Hasaki escaped, but your wife is still inside. Mr. Gray says that if you don't turn up in one hour, she will be shot." A jolt of rage went through me, and I broke free of the straps.  
"Techno," I growled, "I'm driving..."  
My brother quickly gave up the pilot seat to me. I pushed the throttle to maximum drive. We launched from the water like a missile. Our speed was one hundred, and kept increasing. Five hundred, eight hundred, there was a bang as we broke the sound barrier. Fourteen hundred, two thousand, twenty-five hundred. Our speed leveled out at six thousand miles per hour. Any faster, in the atmosphere, and the friction would destroy the gunship.  
It took roughly forty-five minutes to reach the house. We hovered just above the low-lying rain clouds, out of sight. It was two in the morning, very dark.  
"Techno," I started, "cover me from up here. I'm going to fly down to the roof and sneak in."  
My brother nodded, and opened the belly door. Standing at the edge of the opening, preparing for my descent. I noted the clearing far below, where the house was located, then dove out of the jet. Air beat against me as I plummeted. My wings folded against me, and my speed increased. Rain pummeled me as I entered the clouds. The house was another couple thousand feet down. I made a few quick adjustments, lining up for the approach. I could see guards around the house. They had set up camouflage tents that were, no-doubt, hiding weapons. Most of the guards were shielding themselves from the rain, and not looking up, making it easier for me.  
I landed silently on the topmost balcony, and peered through the glass doors, into my bedroom. The place had been ransacked. Drawers were pulled out, their contents thrown on the floor. Furniture was toppled over. My walnut rocking chair was broken against the wall. There was also a trail of blood on the floor.  
I opened the door quietly, and followed the blood trail to the other side of the bed. A panther, Midnight, lay on the floor. His breathing sounded painful, and ragged. My vision hazed with tears as the feline made a tortured sound. I petted his face a bit. Midnight sniffed my fingers for a moment, then licked the palm of my hand with his rough tongue.  
I smiled slightly, and whispered, "it's okay, boy. Just lay here, I'll come back." I reached the staircase, and worked my way down to the first floor. Slowly, I opened the door. Serena was in the living room, held at gunpoint by two guards. There was a bruise on her cheek, and she looked furious.  
Gray was sitting in my chair, looking at the flames danced in the fireplace.  
"Well," he began, "Serena, if your husband doesn't show up in five minutes, we'll have to kill you. Don't worry, though." He put his face close to Serena's. "We'll make it quick and painless, if you give us the key to the house's core processor."  
She spat in his face. Gray's hand struck her in the side of the head, but she didn't cry, or scream. "Stubborn bitch," the human muttered. "You're a freak, just like him, aren't you? Corrupt genes. We'll have to hunt down that abomination of a son of yours, too, and rid the world of this family's disease."  
"Since when," Serena began, "is being different from everyone else a disease? My son has done no wrong. I know my husband may not be perfect, but, despite his power, he protects those weaker than himself, instead of stomping on them. And he respects those stronger than he is, rather than immediately judging them as threats. You are a threat, Mr. Gray, to the entire Reploid race. You would prosecute someone as a Maverick on a whim, as long as it put more victims in the scrap heap. People like you are a disease. You're no better than a Maverick!"  
Phillip hit her again, then, raised his hand to strike once more. In a flash, I was there. I caught his hand before it could come down, and pushed him back, into the chair. The guards trained their guns on me.  
Gray smiled at me. It was the crocodile smile, come here, trust me, little vermin, so I can eat you.  
"Well," Gray mused, "you decided to show up."  
I growled in response. "Of course I did. After all, we non-Maverick Reploids care about out families."  
Phillip stared for a moment. "So, your body wiped out the virus. That doesn't matter. You ran away from us. You and your brother are responsible for a lot of damage. There's a gaping hole in the wall of Hunter HQ. Defense Satellite Alpha overheated from flushing you out of the meteors, it has to be repaired. You made a mistake by passing your flawed genes on. Now, we have to use more resources to track down and exterminate that creature you helped spawn."  
"My son," I roared, "is not a flaw! My love for my family is not an abomination! YOU are an abomination, and your mind is poisoned with hatred, and bigotry! I have no interest whatsoever in killing humans, but I must say, that you have tempted me more than anything else!"  
Gray made a motion with his hands, and the guards aimed at Serena again, readying their weapons. I leapt as fast as I could, and they both fired. The guards' aims faltered, distracted by my movement. One missed altogether. The other... The blast hit Serena in the side, burning flesh and singeing muscle. She screamed in what could only have been agony.  
Hasaki came running from the kitchen, where he had apparently been hiding. "MOMMY!" the boy yelled. The guards directed their fire at him.  
I summoned my armor, and dashed forward, pushing Hasaki to the floor, and using my body to shield him. The blasts hit my wings. I roared as the heat seared away the sensitive membranes, leaving behind the skeleton-like 'frame.' The firing stopped, and the only sounds that reached me now were my wife's anguished cries, and my son's frantic sobbing. My own pain meant nothing to me, but the suffering of my family had to be paid for...  
I leapt up, and grabbed the first guard by the arm. Swinging him around, he collided with the second guard. Both sagged to the floor, unconscious, leaving me to face off against Phillip Gray.  
The human took off his ever-present gloves, and threw off his jacket, revealing a number of augmentations. Cybernetic armor coated his torso, and arms. These sort of implants were too dangerous to be lawful. They would make a human as strong as a Reploid, perhaps even stronger.  
My visor pinpointed speed-boosting implants as well, and rapid-fire plasma guns in the arms.  
As I analyzed the augmentation, I could feel my wings regenerating. The leathery membranes were stretching back across, and mending. If only the rest of me repaired as quickly as this.  
Phillip fired the plasma guns. I ducked and rolled, effectively dodging the projectiles. When I stood up, he was right there, and hit me with another volley, at a point-blank range. The force of the impacts nearly knocked me over, though it did little damage to my armor.  
Gray soon overheated his weapons, and deactivated them. I was still recuperating when his fist hit my helmet. My visor snapped, and most of it broke off, save a single now-useless piece over my left eye.  
I managed to block a few more punches, but was simply overwhelmed by Gray's speed. A kick hit me in the chest, throwing me back into the wall. I hit hard, and for a moment, everything was black.  
My vision cleared quickly, and I forced my pain-wracked body to stand back up. I had barely gotten back to my feet when I was hit by a barrage of punches.  
Hasaki yelled, "daddy!", and ran over. He kicked Gray in the shin, and was quickly flung back. The boy hit the floor hard, then didn't move.  
Phillip put his foot on my chest, and pinned me down. I could hear and feel my armor being pressed inward. The pressure became too much, and soon, I was struggling to breathe.  
Gray pulled his foot back, and listened to my gasping breaths.  
"Tough choice, isn't it?" he mused. "Remove your armor, so you can breathe, and get your head crushed, or, you can suffocate. Now, why don't you fight back?"  
Breathing kept getting harder. My fingers, toes, tail, and wings tingled, and went numb. If I wanted to live, there was only one option left. I would have to morph dragon, revealing to this human what I was.  
Closing my eyes, I concentrated. Before any changes could occur, however, there was an explosion. I opened my eyes to see Phillip crumpled on the floor, unconscious, scorch marks in his armor. There was a hole blown in the wall. Outside, Techno was standing atop the hovering gunship.  
"The cavalry's here!" he proclaimed.  
I removed my armor in time for Hunters to flood the house. They surrounded Gray, and quickly had him restrained and hauled away.  
Hasaki and Serena were loaded onto an ambulance, and rushed to HQ. I flew after them, on newly-born wings.  
  
My wife and son were in the same hospital room. Hasaki was up and about, having only had scrapes and bruises. Serena, however, was on an IV drip of pain medication. She was sound asleep, and her arms and torso were covered with a breathable, plastic bandage, for the treatment of third- degree burns.  
Serena's beautiful face was scratched, and bruised. My shaking hand hovered over her for a moment. I wanted to touch that lovely face, but that would hurt her. I settled for a quick, tearful kiss, not wanting to wake her.  
"Come on, Hasaki," I whispered. "Mommy needs to rest for awhile." The boy grabbed my hand, and I walked him out into the hall, where he sat on a bench. Signas was waiting outside, along with Gate.  
"I can't tell you," Signas began, "how sorry I am about this. We couldn't do much to stop Gray at first, what with jurisdictions and all."  
I smiled slightly. "That's okay, sir. You helped me escape. But, what's going to happen to Mr. Gray?"  
Signas frowned a bit, before saying, "he's going to be put away for a long time. The security footage that your home's core processor took will be more than enough evidence. Not to mention, his unlawful augmentations. Even the President has caught wind of this. Phillip Gray will go down hard."  
Signas left, and Gate said, "you are an enigma. And... you are very fortunate." He stopped at that, and walked away, hurrying to catch up with Signas.  
I sat down on the bench, and Hasaki moved onto my lap. He looked exhausted.  
"Daddy?" he asked.  
"Yes?"  
"Is mommy going to be okay?"  
I stopped to think about it for a moment. Smiling slightly, I replied, "of course she will. Your mom is a very strong woman, she'll be fine."  
We slept in the hospital wing that night, on the bench right outside Serena's room.  
  
I was suspended off the metal floor by cables and wires. Struggling, I tried to escape, but the makeshift restraints tightened. Phillip Gray walked through the gloom. In his hand was a syringe, filled with something electric blue.  
His voice echoed as he spoke, "you Reploids are a cancer on this planet. I'm the cure. I'll see every last one of you wiped off the face of the planet. First, I'll take your flawed genes out of the equation..." He waved the syringe. "Your circuits will fry, and your vitals will be corroded away."  
I fought harder, but the cables tightened, and held me still. I screamed as the needle stabbed into my arm. System warnings started going off. Everything began to malfunction. I could feel things inside of me being eaten away. The wires held me in place as I writhed. The pain was unbearable.  
Everything calmed suddenly. The agony faded. Phillip was gone, vanished. Serena stood where he once was, clothed in white.  
"You're not dying," her melodic voice rang. "You were having a nightmare. Wake up, and it will all go away..."  
  
It was well into the next morning when I was awakened by a soft touch on my shoulder. Opening my eyes, I saw Serena. She had healed flawlessly, and the very sight of her awake made me want to weep.  
I wanted to wrap my arms around her, but I didn't, in fear that I would hurt the freshly-closed wounds.  
Instead, she put her arms around my neck, and rose up on her tiptoes to kiss me. It was a warm, pleasant feeling that chased away my doubts and fears. I picked up Hasaki with one arm as he ran to me, and he pressed against my chest. It was one of those moments that seemed to last forever, and, when it ended, I wished it hadn't. This is what I lived for, my reason for Hunting, my source of strength and courage. This was my reason for being. After all, Reploids, like humans, must have something to cherish above all else, something to comfort their souls in times of sadness and despair.  
Humans and Reploids are the same. We share the same sins. We covet, lie, steal, murder, and destroy. But, we share the same emotions. Sadness, pain, loss, hope joy... love. We feel, therefore we are...  
  
EPILOGUE  
  
Mr. Phillip Gray was sentenced to life without parole. Needless to say, he never troubles us again.  
Techno, in light of out apparent victory, celebrated in his typical fashion, partying wild and loud into the night.  
Gate, of course, questions my inner workings every day. He wonders how I could have fought off such a deadly virus. Needless to say, I wanted to know the same thing.  
Zero still keeps my secret. He is the only other Hunter that knows of my 'other heritage.' If nothing else, Zero is not a liar.  
X knows nothing of the draconian half of my body. I don't know how long I can keep such a secret from my own creator. I don't know how long I can keep myself a secret... from the world. 


End file.
